van andes



vTo all whom it iii/ay. concern:

`theannexed drawings, 1naking a parttof this f speetive. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through Fig. l` is a perspective 4view of the elevator, showing the plow, the salue letters referring to the strainer C. About this aperturea lip, o,

' ing. off the fluids which inay percolate through resting within` and in' a corresponding position toni, a screw-thread, the grooveor slit between lthe threads extending through its entire thickwhich thus forni a frame -work about the tical position on the screw-shaft I, having jour- UN-.ITED .STMESA PATENT OFFICE..

. wir.4 VAN Animales roUo-HKEEPsIE, `N'nw rean. i

'19 yllviis'ovs M ENT iN CENTRI FUeAL' SUGARQDRAINERS.

'Y' SpecificationIbrniiug part. of Iicttcrs Patent No. `@,liLdated June l, .1651. d

Y Bc it known that l, WILLIAM VAN ANpnN, of y Poughkeepsie, in* the county of Dutchess and State `oi" "New York," have invented a new and usefullinprovement in Machinery for Reiining Sugar, Salt,or`` other Articles by Centrifugal Force, of which the following isa full andl exact description, reference being had to specification, c in which- Figure 1 is a side view or isonictrical perthe center. Fig. 3 is a perspective view ofthe cylinders and elevator at its highest point.

the saine parts in the different drawings.'

'B,"Figs. 1, 2, 3, is a cylindrical ortub-shaped vessel, resting in a vert-ical position on the frame A, with a central aperture i n the bottom to admit ofthe passage of the screwshaft I, which is joined to the elevator D, and ot' the hollow shaft or nut G, which is connected with Fig. 2, is turned up from the bottoni, so as to forni a shallow trough or gutter with the ci rcumference of the cylinder. A tube, f, 2 leads from thisgutter for thepurpose ot carrythe strainer, a sufficient 'space intervening between this and the outer cylinder fto allow of their'free descent into the gutter at the bottoni of thelatter. l i

C, Figs. 1, 2, 3, is a hollow metallic cylinder withthe former onthe ltop of the hollow shaft or nut G,to which it is attached. At itsuppei". and lower extremities it has tlanges h h', Fig. 2, betweenwhieh extend vertical ribs i te, Fig. 3, at proper intervals to brace and support the spiral slats jj j, Fig.` 3.v These slats are formed by turning on theinfside ofthe cylinder, from top to bot ness, with the exception of the dan ges and ribs,

strainer.` From the uppertlange a rini, g, Figs; 1, 2, 3, projects over the edgeof the outer cylinder to prevent the substance refined from falling into it as it is being discharged from strainer. j D ,y

"G, Fig. 2, is a hollow shaft or nut in a verpasses a belt, a, Figs. 1, 2.

nals t t'resting in bearings u. uou thfe irainc A. At its upper extreiuit y, aud within the outer cylinder, is a wheclJ-slmped expansion, w, Fig. 2, a section of which, with the shaft, lpresents T`shape, which fornisthe. iloor of the strainer, the tloorw resting a small .distance above .the

which is joined tothe upper partof the shaft Y' l, is a circular disk of metal of the saine diameter as thceyl inder C, on the circu inference of which a'screw is cut to match the spiral groove or female screw in the strainer-,iu which itis made to rise and fall. bythe screw-shaft in a manner subsequently explained, "When down, in which position it remains during the first or retining stage of theproccss, it forxnsa second or false bot-toni to the strainer, with which it revolves. The upper thread of the screw on the elevator is -cut oit-in such a way that the end presents 'a prominentpoint or plow, e, Fig. Ll, which, as the elevator ascends in the act ofl discharging, follows the "groove iu the strainer, and, iittingvit accurately, removes whatever is contained therein..- -A perforated cylinder or cup., E, Figs. 1, 2, 3, about two-thirds the diameter of the'strainer, `with openings of sufiicicntsize tozallow of the free' transmission Aof the substance to be reiined, rises from the upper face ofthe elevator, supporting yat its top a rim, F,`Figs. 1, 2, 3, wide enough to cover the space between it and the strainer, andwhen the `elevator is down the outer edge of this riin rests upon the inner edge of the rim of the strai ner, to which it acts as a cover, prevent-ing its contents, in the rapid revolution to which they are subjected, vfrom flying out over the top. In the center, over the 4upper end ofthe shaft, is a cone, d, Figs. 1,. 2, 3, the object of which is, when' the machine is being charged, to prevent the ingredients fromlodging on the center. The vertical screw-shaft I, Fig. 2, the upper extremity of which, passing through the nut G, supports the elevator, the lower end running in a bearing, u, of the frame A, has upon its middle portion a screw, Z, cut to match the'female screw of the hollow shaft or -nut G, its thread also corresponding in pitch with that of the elevator D. Below two grooves, m m', encircle the shaft, and between them is a vertical groove, n.

K and L are similar pulleys revolving upon the shaft, but kept in position by pins P P piercing each, and entering, respectively, the circularv grooves m m of the shaft. The'upper pulley, K, is greater, and the lower, L, is equal in diameter with the wheel H on the nut G. The upper pulley",'K, has on its under side a recess or slot, q, in the hub, and the lower pulley, L, has on 'its upper side a similar slot, q. Between the pulleys K and L on the shaft 'I is a clutch, M, with a feather, r, projecting above andl below in the vertical .v groovel a, so that while the elutchrevolves with it is at the same time to a certain eX- tent susceptible of a vertical motion upon the shaft. Around the clutch, in a groove, o, is

'coupled a strap, N, with long arms s s', Fig.

1, resting onthe stops() 0. These stops are attached to the sides o f the vframe A in reversed positions, so as to admit of a partial rotation of the arms as they aregmoved up the inclinationl from the bottom, when the feather r is required to enter the slot q of the upper pulley, K. The drivingshaft Q, Figs. l, 2,4

running in bearings ma at the top and bottoml of theiron brace-frame P, has on'it twov pulleys, an upper and smaller, lR, a lower and larger, S. From the upper driving-pulley a belt, a, passes around the wheel H, by which power is transmitted to the. hollow shaft, and a rotary motion is communicated to the strainer. Freni the lower driving-pulleytwo belts, b e, pass, respectively, around the pulleys K and L, causing them to revolve with unequal velocities, either independently 011 or alter- -nately with the screw-shaft, as may be required.

T, Figs. l, 2, is a crank attached to the upper extremity of `the driving-shaft by means of which the machine is set in motion. The pulleys or band-wheels K L have flanges at top and bottom to retain the belts b c as they are carried upand down by the shaft I, and the driving-pulley S is wide enough to allow of the belts being carried up and down upon it.

z, Figs. l, 2, is a floor to which the frames A P are fastened.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The strainer C is set in rapid motion by means ofthe belt a, passing from the driving-pulley Rto the wheel H on the hollow shaft G. Since the pulleys K and L are nowfloose onthe screw-shaft I,the elevator D, being at its lowest point, rests onl or near the bottom of the strainer, 'and revolves with it. The moist sugar or other article .operated on is now yintroduced into the inner cylinder or cup, E, through the apertures ofwhich itis projected by the centrifugal force, and lodges against the inner surface of the strainer, the rim F g I p 5. 56

preventing its escape over the tqp, y. The linear openings between the slats 7 fj 'y' are sufficiently narrow to arrest the solid or crystallized portion of the ingredients, -and at the same time will admit of the percolation of the fluid portions which are thrownout against the inner surface'of thev outer cylinder, B, by the centrifugal force, whence they fall into the trough at its botaorn and flow out at the pipe f. When the refining process has been carried to the required extent and we wish to remove the contents from the strainer, the arms s of the strap N are drawn up by hand on the inclina tion at the bottom ofthe stop 0,' which causes the clutch M to rise, and brings the feather 1', which slides in the vertical groeven on the shaft l, into contact with the under surface of the hub of pulley K, and eauses'it to enter the slot q, where it is held by the pressure exerted between the side of the slot and the side of the verticall groove, so that Vthe pulley is made to revolve with the shaft. Now, the pulley K,be ing larger in proportion to the wheel H than the driving-pulley S is to the driving-pulley R,

the pulley K revolves slower than the wheelH. Consequently the'screw-shaft revolves slower than the hollow shaft and the elevator slower than the strainer. The effect of this inequality between the velocity of the screw-shaft and that of the hollow shaft is4 equivalentto the former remaining stationary and the latter revolving around it with a velocity equal to the difference between the two; but as the latter is fixed in its position, as the screwl enters the screw k the former rises, carrying with it the pulleys K L and the clutch M, the lower' end of the screw-shaft sliding in the bearing a at the bottom of the frame A. rlhe elevator, being attached to the upper end ofthe shaft l, is also made to rise in the strainer. The plow 4 e, following the spiral groove,dislodges its con tents, which are thrown out over the rim ol' the strainer, the rim F of the central cup having been carried up with the elevator. Thu` the machine at the same time discharges itself and clears the strainer while it is kept in motion. When the elevator has risennearl'y to the topl of the strainer, the arms s s of the strap N, which-is carried'up with the clutch,

strike the upper part of the stop, O, so that the pulley-K rises away from the clutch and runs loose on the'shaft as the elevator reaches the surface, the feather#n at that pointbeing drawn from the slot q. The clutch now falls upon the lower pulley, the feather enters the slot f/ on its upper side, so that the pulley L is nc w made to revolve with the shaft. Now, the pulley L is equal in diameter' to thewheel ll but the driving-pulley S greater than the dri v ing-pulley R. Therefore the velocity of the pulley L is greater than that of the wheel H, that of the inner than that of the outer shaft, and the velocity of .the elevator greater than that of the strainer. The effect of the unequal velocities of the inner and outer shafts in thisl case is equivalent to latter remaining station ary and the former revolving in it with a ve Y locity equal to the dilerence between the two,

or to the' former remaining stationary and the latter revolvingaround it withv the same veloeity, but in the Opposite direction. The

screw-shaft therefore descends, carrying withit, as in the formercase, the pulleys and clutch t until the arms of the'strap again reach the bottomI of thestop, when the feather is released,

. as before, from the slot' y, and thev pulley L lagain runs'loosc on the shaft. The elevator,

at the Sametime having retraced its' course, again rests'at the bottom of the strainer, the

' rim E on its top, and the machine is ready for a fresh charge and a repetition'of the process. The .elevator may also be made to discharge and cleanse astrainer with vertical or inclined grooves `in like manner by allowing it to be free to rotate on the end of the shaft,V and i adapting -a plow to each groove.

- .f What I claim as my invention, for which I -U desire 'to secure Letters Patent; is-

Thecontrivance for discharging andat the same timecleansing the strainer while in n10` tion by means of an elevator rising in a spiral groove, substantially as described, or by an elevator rising in vertical or `inclined grooves,

which -isessentially the same. In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name the 8th day of April, 1851.

AWILLIAnuyAN ANDEN.

In presence of SILAs E. HAIGHT,

ALFRED 'HAsBRoUcK 

